Tage Thompson has the physical traits to be a dynamic player in the National Hockey League.
A 6-foot-7 winger possessing speed and an elite shot, Thompson has shown flashes of brilliance since joining the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade in 2018.
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Consistency has eluded Thompson, though. It wasn’t until Don Granato was leading the Sabres’ bench in the final weeks of last season that the 23-year-old showed he may be close to carving out a full-time role in Buffalo.
Thompson’s performance Friday night during a 2-1 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in KeyBank Center was an encouraging step. He recorded three shots and scored a power-play goal in the second period by using his blend of size and skill to beat goalie Louis Domingue.
“Using my size, I think getting to the net is where you’re going to get a lot of your goals,” Thompson said. “Using my size to hold people off and take pucks to the net. Just being around the paint there. … That’s going to be a big focus this year for me."
For the first time since back-to-back wins by Michael Houser over the New York Islanders in May, the Buffalo Sabres will be on the ice in KeyBank Center tonight.
For the second straight season, Thompson will be given a legitimate opportunity to play in the Sabres’ top six. Under former coach Ralph Krueger in January, Thompson exited camp skating on a line with Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall. The experiment was short-lived and, eventually, Thompson was a healthy scratch for 10 of 11 games from Feb. 20 through March 9.
Shortly after taking over as interim coach, Granato placed Thompson in the lineup, only to scratch him for a bad penalty late in a loss to the New York Rangers. Thompson regained Granato’s trust and totaled seven goals with 12 points across the final 23 games, averaging 14:41 of ice time during that span. He also led the team in 5-on-5 high-danger scoring chances and shots per 60 minutes with Granato as coach.
“He has incredible potential, which is different than actual (production),” said Granato, who coached Thompson at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. “He can do things in moments, but we need him to sustain more and to do it more consistently. He had moments of dominance (Thursday in Detroit), but they were brief in respect to what they can be. And we're gonna stay on him for that. I still use the word potential with him. We can look at what he is, actually, right now. It's nothing compared to what he could be.”
Thompson needs to play a more direct game instead of spending too much time on the perimeter of the offensive zone, and his frame should help him be an effective power forward. It’s not a role Thompson is accustomed to, but his work in front of the net Friday showed that his skill could be useful there.
Thompson got proper positioning to receive a pass from Casey Mittelstadt, stickhandled to fool Domingue and scored to tie the game 1-1. On a roster with plenty of speed and several effective perimeter shooters, Thompson could separate himself by being more of a threat close to the net. Thompson is also physically ready to be a threat there, as he’s listed at 218 pounds.
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Granato’s system will help Thompson. He’s also nearly two years removed from a shoulder surgery that ended his 2019-20 season after only 17 games. What's most most important, perhaps, is that Thompson has a coach who believes in him.
“It means a lot,” Thompson said of Granato. “Obviously, anytime anyone has that much trust and faith in you, you want to prove them them right and reach that potential. I think Donnie is willing to work with anyone in the room, not just me. That’s pretty special.”
1. The lineup: This was the first preseason game for some of the Sabres’ regulars, led by Mittelstadt, Jeff Skinner and Victor Olofsson. Zemgus Girgensons centered Anders Bjork and Vinnie Hinostroza, while the bottom six was Drake Caggiula-Ryan MacInnis-Kyle Okposo and Matej Pekar-Sean Malone-Thompson.
Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju reunited on the Sabres’ top defense pair. Robert Hagg was back with Colin Miller and Mark Pysyk skated alongside Jimmy Schuldt.
Later, Granato made an adjustment by elevating Hinostroza to play alongside Skinner and Mittelstadt. When on the ice together at 5-on-5, the trio had a plus-15 shot-attempt differential.
Playing behind a struggling Sabres team inside Little Caesars Arena, Luuukkonen allowed five goals on 31 shots in a 6-2 loss that illustrated how much work is ahead for coach Don Granato and his players before the season opens Oct. 14.
2. More responsibility: Dahlin’s new role as a top-pairing defenseman may come with another assignment. He and Jokiharju were used on the penalty kill against the Penguins, a possible sign that the young tandem has earned Granato’s trust in those difficult situations.
Dahlin has logged only 23:23 of shorthanded ice time across three seasons in the NHL, but the departures of Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe created a significant void on special teams for the Sabres. While Hagg and Miller are likely to be the top penalty-killing pair when the season begins, Granato is developing other options. Remember, it’s possible that neither Hagg nor Miller will be on this team beyond the trade deadline on March 21.
“They’re both very intelligent players,” Granato said of Dahlin and Jokiharju. “You can see the growth and development of them. There were some hiccups, but you do see what they see when they’re about to make plays. … On the penalty kill, we talked about (using them) because they’re intelligent.”
3. Stock up: Bjork has the speed and skill to be an effective top-six winger for the Sabres. He hasn’t reached his potential yet. Buried on the Bruins’ depth chart the previous two seasons, Bjork had only 11 goals in his final 88 games with the club. But his time in a checking-line role taught him how to kill penalties and play a responsible game. The 25-year-old showed that with some smart shorthanded plays against Pittsburgh. The Sabres are waiting to see Bjork become more of a scoring threat, though.
“I think I have that ability,” Bjork said. “Yet to prove it, but that’s something I’m really striving for and this year that’s a huge focus of mine. I think the way I get there is by playing the right way, playing simple, playing a good defensive game, earning the coach’s trust and my teammates’ trust as well. And then hopefully my offensive ability can show once that trust is built. I think that’s a huge focus of mine this year, something I’m really determined to prove.”
There are all kinds of pandemic-season tales in the hockey world. Sean Malone, the West Seneca native and Nichols School product who returned to the Sabres after a year out of the organization, has a doozy of his own.
4. Down swinging: Pekar’s ticket to the NHL won’t be as a fighter. If Pekar needed a reminder, one came in the first period when he was on the wrong side of a bout with Penguins forward Jordy Bellerive, who landed several punches on the Sabres prospect. The role of a pest doesn’t need to include fighting. Irritate opponents into drawing penalties. Be relentless on the forecheck. Losing a meaningless scrap isn’t the solution, but Pekar responded from the loss by playing well in the second and third periods.
5. Notable stats: Sabres goalie Craig Anderson stopped 18 of 20 shots and was relieved after 40 minutes by Dustin Tokarski, who stopped all six shots he faced. Dahlin played a team-high 23:02, finishing with an assist and three shots on goal.
6. Next: The Sabres practice Saturday in LECOM Harborcenter and their next preseason game is Monday against Columbus in KeyBank Center.
